The following relates generally to operating a memory array and more specifically to dual mode ferroelectric memory cell operation.
Memory devices are widely used to store information in various electronic devices such as computers, wireless communication devices, cameras, digital displays, and the like. Information is stored by programming different states of a memory device. For example, binary devices have two states, often denoted by a logic “1” or a logic “0.” In other systems, more than two states may be stored. To access the stored information, a component of the electronic device may read, or sense, the stored state in the memory device. To store information, a component of the electronic device may write, or program, the state in the memory device.
Various types of memory devices exist, including magnetic hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase change memory (PCM), and others. Memory devices may be volatile or non-volatile. Non-volatile memory, e.g., FeRAM, may maintain their stored logic state for extended periods of time even in the absence of an external power source. Volatile memory devices, e.g., DRAM, may lose their stored state over time unless they are periodically refreshed by an external power source. FeRAM may use similar device architectures as volatile memory but may have non-volatile properties due to the use of a ferroelectric capacitor as a storage device. FeRAM devices may thus have improved performance compared to other non-volatile and volatile memory devices.
Improving memory devices, generally, may include increasing memory cell density, increasing read/write speeds, increasing reliability, increasing data retention, reducing power consumption, or reducing manufacturing costs, among other metrics. In some cases, there may be different memory technologies for volatile data storage and non-volatile data storage. In some examples, a ferroelectric memory device may be configured to operate in a non-volatile mode or a volatile, but cannot dynamically alternate between the two. For example, non-volatile data storage may not occur when a ferroelectric memory device operates in the volatile mode. Similarly, volatile data storage may not occur when a ferroelectric memory device operates in the non-volatile mode. Operations performed in the non-volatile mode may require more time, and operations performed in a volatile mode may lose content during a change in power. These problems may slow or disrupt operations of the memory cell when a non-volatile mode is preferred over a volatile mode or vice versa.